Patriots Face Final Challenge In Giants on Road to Perfection
Whether you’re interested in football or not, you’ll be watching Sunday night as the New England Patriots face off against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Not because you think it’ll be a close football game (which it will be), and not because of the commercials (which always disappoint).
Game of the Week: 15th Ranked Men, Despite Youth, Hold Off Tufts
MIT’s 15th-ranked men’s swimming and diving team improved its dual meet record to 6-1 Saturday afternoon, as the visiting Engineers edged past Tufts University, 154-144. Laurent Charpentier ’09, Luke R. Cummings ’10, Rastislav Racz ’10, and Toomas R. Sepp ’11 were each a part of three victories to help lead MIT against the Jumbos, who fell to 4-2 after their second consecutive loss.
The Tech’s Athlete of the Week: Kimberly E. Soo Hoo ’08
Women’s basketball senior captain Kimberly E. Soo Hoo ’08 set the Institute record for assists in a career after dishing out seven assists in MIT’s 59-49 victory over Mount Holyoke College on Saturday. The previous career record was 349.
Eight-Ranked Men’s Volleyball Outlasted By No. 1 Springfield
Fans filled the stands in Rockwell Cage Saturday night as the MIT men’s volleyball team, ranked eighth in the nation, hosted the top-ranked team in the country, Springfield College. In their second match of the season, the Engineers fought hard against the Pride, managing to take a game off them before eventually losing 30-27, 27-30, 30-26, 30-25.
NHL Unable to Attract New Fans for Numerous Reasons
Sometimes I wonder why more people aren’t hockey fans. Sports in the United States are built around four major leagues: the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League. Sure, more people watch NASCAR than any other sport in the country; Major League Soccer has tried its best to make people to pay attention to a sport whose popularity directly correlates to the quality of the U.S. National Team; and the only thing the average person on the street knows about Major League Lacrosse is that its acronym is MLL. But for some reason, people haven’t kicked the NHL out of that group yet.
Cowboys’ WR Owens Models the Hypocrisy In Sports
Consider the following scenarios: Quarterback A vomits during the last drive of a game during a playoff loss, causing people to question his fitness. Quarterback B vacations in Mexico with his famous girlfriend prior to a playoff loss, causing people to question his focus.
Patriots Stay Perfect; Giants Shock Packers In NFC Championship
While the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection remains intact after finishing off the San Diego Chargers, their final hurdle is an unlikely one. Apparently, the clock has not quite struck midnight for the New York Giants, who ended the Green Bay Packers’ run at a Super Bowl appearance. Before we preview the Super Bowl in next week’s issue, here are our recaps of the conference championships.
Tech Athletes of the Week: Amy E. Jacobi ’11 and Michael J. Dobson ’11
Amy E. Jacobi ’11 helped the women’s swimming and diving team capture a 170-124 victory over Colby College on Saturday afternoon, placing first in four different events. MIT swept the top three positions in the 50-yard freestyle with Jacobi clocking in at 24.64 seconds, just ahead of teammates Sarah B. King ’10 (25.93 seconds) and Ashley E. Pinchinat ’10 (26.46 seconds). She also earned victories in the 100-yard (54.42) and 500-yard (5:10.50) freestyle events. Jacobi’s fourth victory came as the lead on the 200-yard freestyle relay team, with teammates King, Jacquelyn M. Nowicke ’08, and Pinchinat, who won with a time of 1:43.13.
Patriots and Packers Predicted to Face Off In NFL Championship
This weekend’s divisional championships feature a cast of characters that would make Hollywood jealous (or at least ready to pitch a screenplay).
Current Varsity Athletes Best Grads in Track’s Alumni Meet
The annual track and field alumni meet pits the guts and raw talent of the alumni has-beens against the training of the current varsity team. The men’s and women’s varsity teams, fresh off a winter break spent in the weight room, proved up to the challenge. The women’s team won the meet by a score of 86-23, while the men’s meet came down to the wire, with the varsity team winning 70-61.
Game of the Week: Men’s Basketball Beats Camels In Overtime
James M. “Jimmy” Bartolotta ’09 scored 26 of his game-high 29 points in the final 25 minutes of last Thursday’s men’s basketball game against Connecticut College (7-2) as MIT erased a 16-point halftime deficit en route to a 79-73 overtime victory. Hamidou Soumare ’08 added a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds in the thrilling non-conference win, which took place in Rockwell Cage.
Athlete of the Week: All-American Devin M. Lewis ’10
The Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches recently announced its 2007 All-America selections, naming Devin M. Lewis ’10 to the Division III Second Team for his contributions to MIT’s record-breaking season. The utility player’s goal-scoring exploits helped turn the Engineers into an offensive juggernaut, as the team finished the season with a school-record 358 goals.
Patriots Take Undefeated Season Into NFL Divisional Playoffs Against Jags
As the weekend’s divisional playoffs approach, we attempt to answer a few burning questions. Will the Patriots continue their march to perfection? Will Brett Favre demonstrate why he deserved to be named the 2007 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year? Most importantly, which Manning(s) will cry this week? For your enjoyment, we offer our playoff picks.
Bowl Championship Series Doesn’t Need A ‘Plus-One’ Format
I began writing this column with every intention of supporting a playoff system for college football. Perhaps it was because I really didn’t think two-loss Louisiana State University was the best team in the nation. Or maybe it was because I felt bad for all of those University of Southern California fans, who clearly were not satisfied with just a whopping on Illinois. Having a playoff just feels fair; it’s too sad to turn teams away.